Weddings are often among the happiest occasions in a person’s life. With so many moving parts, it might be tough to enjoy all the unique moments. This is when hiring a professional wedding photographer may be really advantageous.
As a professional photographer or videographer, you may specialize in several types of events. Providing photographic services at wedding venues is one of the most popular services.
If you are just starting out as a wedding photographer, you will discover that most venues demand you to have insurance. Since there is no standard “photography insurance policy,” it is imperative that you get a plan with a variety of coverage options.
This article will provide the needed information on the best providers of wedding photographers’ insurance and every other thing you should know about the policy.
- 5 best wedding photographer insurance companies
- What is wedding photographer’s insurance?
- Are wedding photographers required to have insurance?
- General liability insurance for wedding photographers
- Professional liability insurance for wedding photographers
- One-day insurance coverage for wedding photographers
- How much does wedding photographer insurance cost?
- What affects the cost of wedding photographer’s insurance?
- How to find cheap coverage for wedding photographers?
What is wedding photographer’s insurance?
Wedding photographers’ insurance is a group of policies tailored to provide specialised coverage for wedding photographers.
Most insurers may offer photographers two forms of coverage: one-day wedding photography insurance plan and the annual small business insurance policy. Both provide excellent possibilities, depending on the number of weddings you want to do every year. Also, both policies provide coverage for general liability and professional liability.
Are wedding photographers required to have insurance?
No. However, the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers recommends purchasing it without hesitation. Besides, some customers may request that you carry the coverage.
If you have workers, you must have worker’s compensation insurance. This policy is compulsory in most states whether you have full-time or part-time workers.
If you drive a vehicle for your wedding photography business, you’ll need to have commercial auto insurance.
Why do wedding photographers need insurance?
One reason wedding photographers need insurance is that they often work with expensive equipment. Some typical expensive equipment that wedding photographers work with includes high-end digital cameras, lenses, and lighting equipment. Many photographers also use portable printers and computer software to help them edit and print photos on the spot. They need insurance, especially camera and other photography equipment insurance, to protect the expensive equipment from loss and damage.
Additionally, if any third party gets bodily injured or property damaged due to their photography operations, they can file a lawsuit against a photographer, wedding photographer insurance would help protect them from these liability lawsuits and prevent any financial damages for the photographers.
General liability insurance for wedding photographers
You should strongly consider purchasing general liability insurance coverage if you are a wedding photographer. It is a standard business insurance coverage that protects against various hazards and may be helpful in the case of an accident or litigation.
General liability insurance offers coverage for many occurrences, including those listed below:
- Bodily harm
- Costs related to legal fees
- Individual and advertising-related harm
- Medical expenses and expenditures
- Property damage
Because of its importance, the policy is usually the essential component of most photographers’ insurance policies. Without it, accidents or lawsuits might make your business bankrupt. In addition, some wedding planners demand that photographers carry insurance to decrease liability.
Even if the wedding takes place on private property, the homeowner may or may not have their own indemnity coverage for the event. However, if you do not have your own insurance, any loss or damage to your photographic equipment would likely come out of your own pocket. This is particularly true if you accidentally harm someone or cause property damage.
The following are examples of how general liability insurance may cover you
- Your tripod stand falls and breaks the window in the venue or someone’s phone at the venue; your insurance coverage may reimburse for the damages.
- Your equipment causes the elderly grandma of the groom to fall; your general liability coverage may assist pay for her trip to the hospital.
- Your coverage may assist pay your legal bills if you are sued for copyright infringement.
Learn more at the best general liability insurance companies
Professional liability insurance for wedding photographers
Professional liability insurance, sometimes referred to as errors and omissions insurance (E&O), is necessary, or even required to protect your business and your personal finance. This coverage will protect you and your business if customers sue you because they believe that you are negligible or make mistakes or omissions that cause them harm or damages.
Camera and other photography equipment insurance
As we said above, wedding photographers use a lot of expensive equipment that needs to be insured. They need to have proper camera insurance. This is a type of commercial property insurance. It protects your expensive equipment in case of any damage or loss.
If you work out of a studio, getting a commercial property insurance can also cover your studio for any damages, theft, or burglary. If you rent a studio, your landlord will likely require you to have commercial property insurance. You need to make sure the policy has sufficient coverage for your expensive photography equipment.
One-day insurance coverage for wedding photographers
There are instances in which one-day insurance coverage may be preferable. For example, you may not wish to invest immediately in 12-month insurance if:
- You are just beginning your career in photography and testing the waters.
- You just consider photography as a hobby, but a friend requests that you help take pictures at their wedding
In such a circumstance, you may choose to have one-day insurance coverage for wedding photographers. InsurePro and Simply Business are the two brokers that can help you find affordable one-day coverage.
Learn more at the best one-day photographer insurance companies and the best one-day vendor insurance companies
Other insurance coverage that wedding photographers may need
Let’s examine additional insurance and coverage choices for your photography company.
Business owner’s policy (BOP)
A business owner’s policy (BOP) combines your general liability insurance and commercial property coverage into a single policy, which is often more affordable than purchasing each coverage individually.
It protects you against typical company risks, such as client injuries, equipment damage, and advertising-related litigation, such as defamation and slander. It also protects your cameras, editing equipment, and other company assets from harm.
Learn more at how much BOP insurance costs and the best BOP insurance companies
Inland marine insurance
Despite its potentially misleading name, inland marine coverage has nothing to do with boats or water. This coverage, also known as equipment floater insurance, protects your company property, such as cameras and video equipment, while it is being moved to or kept at an off-site location, such as a wedding venue.
Commercial auto insurance
Your personal vehicle insurance does not cover medical expenses or property damage incurred when traveling to and from work-related sites or moving equipment, customers, or workers.
Therefore, you need commercial auto insurance coverage to cover vehicle theft, vandalism, and other damages that occur while you are taking pictures at weddings.
Learn more at the best commercial auto insurance companies
Workers’ compensation protection
In most states, businesses with employees must have workers’ compensation insurance. If one of your employees is hurt at a wedding, your workers’ compensation insurance may cover medical expenses, legal costs, and missed earnings.
Learn more at the best workers comp insurance companies and how much does workers comp insurance cost
How much does wedding photographer insurance cost?
General liability insurance costs freelance photographers and videographers an average of $25 per month or $257 per year. One-day event insurance, in comparison, will cost you roughly $24 or more. This is cheaper than the average cost for general photographers.
If you add more coverages, you will pay more. Below are the average costs of different coverage that wedding photographers may need:
| Wedding photographer insurance coverage | Average costs |
| General liability coverage | $25 per month |
| Professional liability | $31 per month |
| Commercial property insurance (for your photography equipment only) | $18 per month |
| Commercial auto insurance, for both the studio and photography equipment | $92 per month |
These are just the averages. Your insurance rates are determined by your risk profile, your coverage, and your deductible. Make sure to shop around with a few companies or work with a broker like CoverWallet, InsurePro, and Simply Business to compare several quotes to find the cheapest one for you.
Learn more at how much does photographer insurance cost
What affects the cost of wedding photographer’s insurance?
The cost of wedding photographer insurance may be affected by a variety of factors. Below are the most common ones:
Coverage limits and deductibles
Your coverage limit describes the maximum amount your insurer will pay for a claim. As your coverage limits increase, so with the cost of your premium. Be careful you choose a sufficient amount of coverage since the price of cameras and lenses may soon add up. A smaller limit will likely increase your risk exposure.
Your deductible is the amount of money you agree to pay if an incident occurs. Usually, you have to pay this fee before your insurer can pay your insurance claim. Generally, if you are prepared to pay a bigger deductible, your insurance rate may drop. However, the downside is that you will pay more when an incident happens.
For example, if you have an insurance policy with a deductible of $500 and you accidentally damage a camera lens that costs $900. That means your insurer will reimburse you for $400 after you pay the deductible of $500.
Claim history
If you have a record of making insurance claims in the past, this may result in a higher rate for you.
Work classification
You may have a more significant premium depending on the type of photographs or videos you take. For instance, if you are a wildlife photographer, you may pay more than a street photographer since the risk is more.
Similarly, if you take aerial photographs with drones, and take pictures of models, you may also pay more for your premiums.
Storage
Your insurer will likely want to know how you keep and preserve the prints, negatives, and personally identifiable information of your clients. If you do not have good storage facilities, you will likely pay more for your premiums. The reason is you are likely to have problems with your clients.
Location
Location is a significant factor in determining the total cost of your annual insurance premiums for your photography company.
The size of your business
If you have more customers and more revenue, your premiums are likely to be higher since you are exposed to greater risks. If you are just starting out with a few customers only and less revenue, you may pay less for your policy.
Coverage duration
The length of your coverage affects the total cost of your insurance policy. Because photography is often a freelance sector, you may have the option to obtain insurance coverage for just the projects and shoots that you are doing rather than for the entire year. This may be an option offered by certain insurance companies.
Of course, paying per job means you only get to spend when you have jobs. It might be cheaper, depending on how you look at it.
How to find cheap coverage for wedding photographers?
Wedding photographer insurance isn’t too expensive. But you don’t need to pay too much unnecessarily. Below are a few tips to save on your premiums:
- Always compare several quotes to find the cheapest one Get quotes from a few companies, brokers, or agents and compare them to find the right coverage for you at a reasonable cost.
- Always ask for discounts. If they’re not offered when getting a quote, ask about them, whether you’re buying online or through an agent.
- Only buy the necessary coverage: You don’t need to buy all policies, only get the coverage that you need for your photography business
- Choose the right policy’s terms: Reducing the coverage limits and increasing deductibles can help reduce the policy’s premiums
Taking these steps will help ensure you’re not paying too much for your wedding photography coverage.
5 best wedding photographer insurance companies
We have researched several insurance companies offering insurance for wedding photographers. Here are our recommendations for the top 5 providers.
- InsurePro: Best for short-term, pay-per-day wedding photographer coverage
- Simply Business: Best for finding low-cost coverage
- CoverWallet: Best for comparing several quotes from top-rated carriers
- NEXT: Best for the best digital experience
- biBERK: Best for easy policy customization
InsurePro: Best for short-term, pay-per-day wedding photographer coverage
Insurepro is a relatively new insurance broker. The company works with about 20 partners to deliver affordable quotes for photographers. The particular highlight of this company is that you can select coverage just for a day or a few days or for an event only. That is you don’t have to buy policies for the whole year.
Many wedding photographers may not need insurance coverage for the whole month or the whole year. InsurePro is a good option for you to find coverage for just a project or a day.
Pros
- Offer short-term pay-per-day coverage
- Tailored quotes from multiple companies
- Fast quotes generation process
- User-friendly platform
- Top insurance partners
Cons
- Does not offer all coverage that wedding photographers may need
- May not be available in all states
Simply Business: Best for finding low-cost coverage
Simply Business is an internet broker that works with various highly rated insurance providers to deliver business insurance coverage to small-scale photographers. Simply Business is a great company when you consider its straightforward application procedure because it generates competitive quotes from several insurers in a short amount of time. With Simply Business, wedding photographers now have the opportunity to find low-cost coverage easily.
Pros
- Offers competitive rates for insurance policies
- Focus on helping photographers to find low-cost coverage and buy policies online
- Simple online application
- Does not impose any extra brokerage fee.
Cons
- No specialized photography equipment coverage
- Claims have to be made to a third party
CoverWallet: Best for comparing several quotes from top-rated carriers
CoverWallet is our top choice for photographers due to the ease of use and variety of insurance coverage it provides. It offers an easy application for photographers to compare several quotes from top-rated carriers.
Pros
- Compare quotes from many top-rated insurers in minutes
- Quotes generation is done online
- A certificate of insurance is available instantly after buying a policy
- You may be able to get cheaper insurance policies
- Get tailored policies and multiple coverages
Cons
- Policy cancellation can take up to 30 days
- Sometimes quotes are not available online, you have to call to get quotes
NEXT: Best for the best digital experience
NEXT is an insurance provider that offers the best digital insurance services. This insurance firm makes use of big data technologies to provide the most comprehensive coverage, monitor premium payments, and handle a variety of other tasks. Commercial property insurance, commercial car insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, and liability insurance are the policies included in NEXT’s custom insurance package for wedding photographers. You can also purchase company owner’s insurance to take advantage of lower premium prices.
Pros
- Discounts of up to 20% are available
- User-friendly website
- A certificate of insurance is available instantly after purchasing the policy
- 24/7 support
Cons
- A relatively new company without a robust claim-paying record
- Some quotes such as commercial auto insurance may not be available online
biBERK: Best for easy policy customization
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group owns biBERK. This firm is excellent for policy customization since it allows its customers to construct policies with the coverage they need.
BiBERK promises 20% cheaper prices than rivals since you can purchase insurance directly from them. Photography firms may get general liability, business owners’ policy (liability & property), commercial auto, umbrella, cyber, and workers’ compensation insurance from biBERK.
Pros
- Create customized policies
- Backed by Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group, owned by Warren Buffett
- Easy quotations accessible online
- Affordable rates with discounts
Cons
- Some policies may not have quotes online
- Limited phone support
